After a dominating victory against John Cena on the grandest stage of them all, the WWE Universe was not expecting The Undertaker to wrestle another match for at least a year. However, it was announced that The Phenom would face Rusev in a Casket Match during the upcoming ‘Greatest Royal Rumble’ event in Saudi Arabia. Before long, WWE officials replaced Rusev with Chris Jericho and many fans wanted to know why.

The WWE Universe questioned the booking change, but Jericho vs. Undertaker was an exciting match-up for the event. A few days later, WWE officials decided to cancel their match and go back to the original plan of Rusev vs. The Undertaker. It’s been a confusing situation, but BodySlam.net is reporting that Rusev was initially taken out of the match because the powers that be were worried he had offended The Undertaker.

After The Bulgarian Brute was announced for the Casket Match, he spoke to TMZ and rubbed several WWE officials the wrong way with his comments about The Undertaker being “old” and “burying him.” After that, Michelle McCool and Lana took to social media to talk about the situation, which created some controversy that WWE officials didn’t want. Jericho was chosen as a replacement until The Undertaker made it clear he wasn’t offended at all. As a result, Rusev will wrestle The Deadman in a Casket Match as originally planned.

‘Rusev Day will be showcased against The Deadman.’
WWE

Initially, the WWE Universe wasn’t thrilled with Rusev facing The Phenom in a Casket Match after the way the match with John Cena went down at WrestleMania 34. It’s been reported that The Undertaker’s match with Cena was so short because The Deadman wasn’t capable of wrestling a full match and it’s expected he will be extremely limited against Rusev, which upsets a lot of fans who don’t want to see Rusev take a huge loss. However, some fans were also upset when he was replaced by Chris Jericho. It was a no-win situation.

The Bulgarian Brute will be showcased against The Undertaker on one of the biggest shows of the year. The company is making a major push in Saudi Arabia to expand WWE’s audience. It’s a great spot for Rusev to be in, especially with his “Rusev Day” gimmick becoming so popular with the WWE Universe. Although it’s essentially a guarantee that he will lose to The Deadman, it’s a huge stamp of approval for the powers that be. He will also be doing The Undertaker a great favor, which could lead Rusev to greater things afterward.